Tuesday, February 26, 2008

This morning, as I tore off yesterday's page from my Disney Desk Calendar, I was greeted by Roz from Disney Pixar's Monsters, Inc. Roz is one character I keep hoping will be released as part of the Walt Disney Classics Collection.

Roz (voiced by Bob Peterson) is the bookkeeper of the Monsters, Inc. factory. She speaks with a very rough voice and has a slug-like body. Roz has green-brown skin and a bit of grey hair on the top of her head and wears a red sweater. Mike Wazowski, James P. Sullivan's assistant, tries to avoid getting in trouble with Roz mostly because, no matter how many times he tries to remind himself, he almost always forgets to file his paperwork. She is revealed to be Agent 001 of the Child Detection Agency.

Here is a classic dialogue between Roz and Mike Wazowski:

Mike:Good morning, Roz, my succulent little garden snail. And who will we be scaring today?

Roz:Wazowski! You didn't file your paperwork last night.

Mike: Oh, that darn paperwork! Wouldn't it be easier if it all just blew away?

Saturday, February 23, 2008

1942 is most visible as the year of Bambi on Walt Disney's resume, but even as the United States waged World War II, the visionary's studio was enjoying success from less elaborate efforts in its cartoon production field. The popularity of Disney's original personality-turned-icon, Mickey Mouse, had already been eclipsed by the comically irascibleDonald Duck, though both these lines and other animated endeavors were embraced by the public.

During World War II, film audiences were looking for brasher, edgier cartoon characters. It is no coincidence that the same era that saw the birth and rise of Bugs Bunny also saw Donald Duck'spopularity soar. By 1949, Donald had surpassed Mickey Mouse as Disney's most popular character. Before 1941, Donald Duck had appeared in about 50 cartoons. Between 1941 and 1965, Donald would star in over 100.

Several of Donald's shorts during the war were propaganda films, most notably Der Fuehrer's Face, released on January 1, 1943. In it, Donald plays a worker in an artillery factory in Nutzi Land (Nazi Germany). He struggles with long working hours, very small food rations, and having to salute every time he sees a picture of the Führer (Adolf Hitler). These pictures appear in many places, such as on the assembly line in which he is screwing in the detonators of various sizes of shells. In the end he becomes little more than a small part in a faceless machine with no choice but to obey until he falls, suffering a nervous breakdown. Then Donald wakes up to find that his experience was in fact a nightmare. At the end of the short Donald looks to the Statue of Liberty and the American flag with renewed appreciation. Der Fuehrer's Face won the 1942 Academy Award for Animated Short Film.

Other notable shorts from this period include the Army shorts, that follow Donald's life in the United States Army from his being drafted, to his life in basic training under SergeantPete, to his first actual mission as a commando having to sabotage a Japanese air base.

In 1984, during a celebration for Donald's 50th birthday, the United States Army had awarded Donald Duck a promotion to Sergeant in honor of his wartime cartoons. The ceremony was similar to actual military promotion ceremonies, with Donald in military uniform being given the certificate and insignia of a sergeant by an Army officer, then hugging Daisy Duck in joy.

Donald's Disney War Years titles include:

Donald Gets Drafted (May 1, 1942)

The Vanishing Private (September 25, 1942)

Sky Trooper (November 6, 1942)

Der Fuehrer's Face (January 1, 1943)

Fall Out Fall In (April 23, 1943)

The Old Army Game (November 5, 1943)

Home Defense (November 26, 1943)

Commando Duck (June 2, 1944).

Featured in this blog entry are Donald Duck("Basic Training") and Pete ("Marching Orders") sculpted by Patrick Romandy-Simmons. Both Donald & Pete are an Open Edition release. Other WDCC releases from this film can be seen in the Donald Gets Draftedsection of the website.

I came across the following short promo (courtesy of YouTube.com) about the effects of World War II on the Disney Studios and how Donald Duck became a part of the war effort included on Limited Gold Edition VHS called An Officer and A Duck.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

During the ten-year period that the Disney animators produced their delightful Silly Symphony series there was only one story they chose to dramatize twice, Hans Christian Andersen'sThe Ugly Duckling. The studio released two quite different versions of the story in 1931 and 1939, at the beginning of the series' history and at the end.The latter adaptation displays all the sophisticated techniques the animators had developed during that eventful era: it's in glorious Technicolor, the draftsmanship and character animation are superb, and the storytelling is clear, concise, and funny. And yet there's something to be said for the comparatively primitive black & white version of 1931.The color film won the 1939 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).In this version, the baby swan's sufferings are shortened, as he is found by his family, after only a few minutes of rejection and ostracism, instead of a whole year. This abbreviated version is read by Lilo to Stitch in the 2002 Disney film Lilo & Stitch. The story has a deep impact on Stitch, who sets out to look for his real family.

The Ugly Duckling was Disney's last Silly Symphony. Since 1993, the Walt Disney Classics Collection has released sculpture releases (through scenes, stand alones and Enchanted Places) from the Silly Symphony shorts. February 2007 marked the debut of the Silly Symphony Series with the release of the Ugly Duckling & His Mother (pictured above). "A Loving Embrace" is an Open Edition release, sculpted by Jacqueline Perreault Gonzales. For your viewing pleasure, below are both the 1931 & 1939 releases of The Ugly Duckling (courtesy of YouTube.com):1931 Release

I received the following question regarding the status of Captain Mickey ("Set Sail for Fun"), a 2007 Disney Cruise Line® exclusive.Question: Been getting some queries regarding the new Captain Mickey on the Cruise Ships as to its being retired and how soon stock will run out on it. Would you mind inquiring and seeing if the Ships are still carrying it?Answer: The Walt Disney Classics Collection Disney Cruise Line exclusive of Captain Mickey: Set Sail for Fun is not retired. It may be out of stock due to strong guest demand aboard the ships but there is a re-order in process with the porcelain studio and the ships should be re-supplied by April if not earlier.The original Disney Cruise Line® Captain Mickey (2003 Open Edition) was retired due to the Captain Mickey character on the ships having a costume update — the navy whites with the gold trim. Captain Mickey ("Set Sail for Fun") was released in May, 2007 reflecting the updated costume. Available only on the Disney Cruise Line®.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Cinderella, released to theaters on February 15, 1950 by RKO Radio Pictures, celebrates its anniversary today! Made on the cusp between the classic golden age Disney animations of the 1930's and 1940's and the more critically acclaimed productions of the late 1900's, Cinderella is representative of both eras.

Cinderella was the first full-bodied feature produced by the studio since Bambi in 1942; World War II and low box office returns had forced Walt Disney to produce a series of inexpensive package films such as Make Mine Music and Fun and Fancy Free for the 1940's.

Rotoscoping was used extensively to keep animation costs down. According to Laryn Dowel, one of the directing animators of the film, roughly 90% of the movie was done in live action model before animation, using basic sets as references for actors and animators alike. Both Helene Stanley (Cinderella's live action model) and Ilene Woods heavily influenced Cinderellas' styling and mannerisms. Mike Douglas was the Prince's singing voice while William Phipps acted the part. Actress Helene Stanley was the live-action model for the title role and would be so again for Sleeping Beauty and Anita Radcliff in One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

For the first time, Walt turned to Tin Pan Alley song writers to write the songs. The music of Tin Pan Alley would later become a recurring theme in Disney animation. Cinderella was the first Disney film to have its songs published and copyrighted by the newly created Walt Disney Music Company. Before movie soundtracks became marketable, movie songs had little residual value to the film studio that owned them and were often sold off to established music companies for sheet music publication.

Walt Disney had not had a huge hit since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The production of this film was regarded as a major gamble on his part. At a cost of nearly $3,000,000, Disney insiders claimed that if this movie had failed at the box office, then Disney studio would have closed (given that the studio was already heavily in debt). The film was successful and allowed Disney to carry on producing films throughout the 1950's.

Trivia:

Ilene Woods beat exactly 309 girls for the part of Cinderella, after some demo recordings of her singing a few of the film's songs were presented to Walt Disney. However, she had no idea she was auditioning for the part until Disney contacted her; she initially made the recordings for a few friends who sent them to Disney without telling her.

The transformation of Cinderella's torn dress to that of the white ball gown was considered to be Walt Disney's favorite piece of animation.

Not only is the name of the prince never revealed, he is nowhere in the film mentioned as "Prince Charming".

Lucifer was modeled after animator Ward Kimball's cat. Animators were having trouble coming up with a good design for that cat, but once Walt Disney saw Kimball's furry calco he declared, "There's your Lucifer."

In both Cinderella (1950) and Sleeping Beauty (1959), the main character's friends surprise her with a new dress, calling out "Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Happy birthday!"

Featured in this blog entry is Cinderella("Oh, Thank You So Much!") sculpted by Rafaello Vecchione, an Open Edition Release. Other WDCC releases from this film can be seen in the Cinderella Image Gallerysection of the website.

Monday, February 11, 2008

In 1928, the movie world was electrified by the sudden advent of sound. The first to realize its potential for animation was Walt Disney, whose Mickey Mouse, in his third outing (Steamboat Willie, 1928), became the first cartoon character to speak. That same year, Carl Stalling joined the Disney staff, becoming animation's first musical director. It was Stalling who suggested a cartoon where sound was the entire point — one built around a music score.The cartoon, titled The Skeleton Dance, was made, and released on May 10, 1929. Although it contained no continuing characters, it launched a series that lasted a decade and sparked a half-dozen imitators. Donald Duck got his start in a Silly Symphonies cartoon (The Wise Little Hen, 1934), and Pluto's first appearance withoutMickey Mouse was also in a Silly Symphonies cartoon (Mother Pluto, 1936).

About the seriesThe original black-and-white entries in the Silly Symphonies series, produced from 1929 to 1932 and released by Celebrity Productions (1929 - 1930) and Columbia Pictures (1930 - 1932), were only mildly successful, with the exception of the pilot film, The Skeleton Dance. Most theatres were unwilling to run cartoons without star characters, and the Silly Symphonies were relegated to a distinctly secondary status in most regards. In fact, when Disney began distributing his product through United Artists in 1932, United Artists refused to distribute the Silly Symphonies unless Disney associated Mickey Mouse with them somehow, resulting in the "Mickey Mouse presents a Silly Symphony" title cards and posters that introduced and promoted the series during its five-year run for United Artists.

Shortly after the switch to United Artists, however, the series' fortunes quickly turned around. Walt Disney had seen some of Dr. Herbert Kalmus' tests for a new three-strip, full-color Technicolor process, which would replace the previous, two-tone Technicolor process. Disney signed a contract with Technicolor which gave the Disney studio exclusive rights to the new three-strip process through the end of 1935, and had a 60% complete Symphony, Flowers and Trees, scrapped and redone in full color. Flowers and Trees was a phenomenal success, and within a year, the now-in-Technicolor Silly Symphonies series had popularity and success that matched (and later surpassed) that of the Mickey Mouse cartoons. Several Silly Symphonies entries, including Three Little Pigs (1932), The Grasshopper and the Ants (1934), The Tortoise and the Hare (1934), The Country Cousin (1936), The Old Mill (1937), Wynken, Blynken, and Nod (1938), and The Ugly Duckling (1939, originally made in black and white in 1931), are among the most notable films produced by Walt Disney.

Within the animation industry, the Silly Symphonies series is most noted for its use by Walt Disney as a platform for experimenting with processes, techniques, characters, and stories in order to further the art of animation. Among the innovations developed and/or improved upon in the series are Technicolor filmmaking, true and believable character animation, special effects animation, and dramatic storytelling in animation. Disney's experiments were widely praised within the film industry, and the Silly Symphonies won seven Academy Awards for Best Short Subject (Cartoons), maintaining a six-year-hold on the category after it was first introduced. This record was matched only by MGM's Tom and Jerry series during the 1940s and 1950s.

The names of the Warner Bros. cartoon series, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, were derived from the "Silly Symphonies" name. The television series Mickey Mouse Works used the Silly Symphonies title for some of its new cartoons, but unlike the original cartoons, these did feature continuing characters. Disney also produced comic strips and comic books with this title.

I came across the following clip (courtesy of YouTube.com) of Walt Disney discussing the Silly Symphonies that originally appeared on the Limited Gold Edition VHs called The Disney Dream Factory. Enjoy!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

The final two (2) years, the 1998 Calendar and 1999 Calendar are now on-line! What started as being a challenging project ended up being a fun project and now completed, am glad I took this project on and the website now contains the complete Calendar Schedules from 1992-2008 and another facet of WDCC History documented.

A Special Note: Couldn't find confirmed information on the release month for the Hag and Kanga & Roo miniatures but from my research, was able to narrow down to approximately November, 1999. I plan to continue and research this one out and put in the proper month if where I have now, is incorrect. Also, I didn't include the Mickey Cuts Up Base (even though included in the Secondary Guide) since it was produced by Roman for Parkwest/NALED.

The mascots chosen for both 1998 and 1999 come from Sleeping Beauty. The Dancing Pink Aurora ("A Dance in the Clouds") as you can see, is my favorite from 1998. The Dancing Aurora was done in both a pink & blue version, which was the subject of a blog entry this past August.

Making a choice for 1999 wasn't so easy since (at least for me), it was hard to choose between the Maleficent Event Sculpture ("Evil Enchantress") and Maleficent as the Dragon ("And Now You Shall Deal With Me" the 1999 Disneyana Featured Sculpture). Amanda helped me out by creating a logo which featured both. I really like how this logo turned out!! I just might be my favorite. Great job Amanda!!

For all those that asked me to undertake this project, Thank You! If not for your perserverance, it probably may not have happened. While working on this project, also began fixing the meta tags on the individual sculpture pages to help fine-tune the Search Engine. Now that all the Calendar Years are on-line, want to continue working on correcting those pages for releases from 2000-2008. A webmaster's work is never done! LOL!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Today marks the 3rd Anniversary this week! Celebrating its 68th Anniversary, Pinocchio is the second animated feature by Walt Disney, originally released to theatres by RKO Radio Pictures on February 7, 1940.

Based on the book Pinocchio: Tale of a Puppet by Carlo Collodi, it was made in response to the enormous success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The plot of the film involves a wooden puppet being brought to life by a blue fairy, who tells him he can become a real boy if he proves himself "brave, truthful, and unselfish". Thus begin the puppet's adventures to become a real boy, which involve many encounters with a host of unsavory characters.

The plan for the original film was considerably different from what was released. Numerous characters and plot points, many of which came from the original novel, were used in early drafts. Producer Walt Disney was displeased with the work that was being done and called a halt to the project midway into production so that the concept could be rethought and the characters redesigned.

Amongst the nipping and tucking, there were two longer scenes taken out. One included an extended scene of Pleasure Island. The other is of Geppetto telling Pinocchio of his grandfather, a pine tree. Although a flop initially, the 1945 re-release brought it into profit. Disney, more than any other studio, would effectively market re-releases to take advantage of its films reaching each new audience generation. This marketing plan would allow once costly flops (such as Fantasia, also released in 1940) to eventually post handsome profits. And since virtually all its pre-1959 animated library are considered classics, the studio is able to reap huge profits with the advent of new media formats and limited-time purchase availability within a particular format.

Trivia:

Carlo Collodi, whose surname was really Carlo Lorenzini, was a journalist and rabble-rouser who settled down to write children's stories. He took his pen name from the town of his mother's birth, Collodi. When he originally published Pinocchio in the form of a magazine serial, Lorenzini's intention was to kill Pinocchio by having him hang himself. At the suggestion of his editor, Lorenzini added chapters sixteen to thirty-two, giving the story a happy ending and creating the character of the Blue Fairy.

The Blue Fairy in Pinocchio (as well as the prince in Snow White) was created by using the rotoscope technique.

When Pinocchio is changed into a real boy, his hands are transformed from three-fingered and white-gloved "Mickey Mouse" hands into four-fingered (plus thumb) human hands sans gloves. Wood-carver/dad Geppetto sports a full compliment of gnarly digits throughout this 1940 classic.

The pool hall at Pleasure Island is in the shape of a giant eight ball with a tall cue-shaped structure standing nearby. This is a neat takeoff on the Trylon and the Perisphere at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

Amongst the debris in the destruction house at Pleasure Island, a print of Leonardo Da Vinci'sThe Mona Lisa can be seen.

Featured in this blog entry are Geppetto & Pinocchio ("A Father's Joy") sculpted by Dusty Horner. Available in both a Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 750 (Special Dealer Forum Version) and an Open Edition Release. Other WDCC releases from this film can be seen in the Pinocchio Image Gallerysection of the website.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

This is turning out to be a week of film anniversaries. Today marks the 65th anniversary of Saludos Amigos. The film premiered in Rio de Janeiro on August 24, 1942. It was released in the United States on February 6, 1943. Live-action segments show members of the Disney staff touring South America and recording their impressions in sketches.

Set in Latin America, it is made up of four different segments; Lake Titicaca depicts tourist Donald Duck's troubles with a stubborn llama; Pedro tells of a little mail plane's adventures flying over the treacherous Andes; El Gaucho Goofy transplants an American cowboy into the Argentine pampas; and in Aquarela do Brasil, Jose Carioca shows Donald Duck the sights and sounds of Rio de Janiero.

The shorts that form this movie were originally intended to be released separately, but were combined to form this movie because it had been decided that each short would only be of interest to the people whose country it depicted. Therefore, footage of the Disney team on location in South America was used to make the framing sequence around the original shorts.

According to Jack Haley Jr.'s documentary Life Goes To War, the United States Department of Statecommissioned this movie during World War II to be shown in Central and South America to build up relations with the Latin American populace.

The film received 3 Academy Award nominations for Best Sound, Original Music Score and Best Song for Saludos Amigos. It garnered mixed reviews and was only reissued once, in 1949, when it was shown on a double bill with the first reissue of Dumbo.

Trivia:

The film's title is Spanish for "Hello, Friends" (more literally, "Greetings, Friends").

This was the first Disney Animated feature to be shown in South America before it was screened in the USA.

It also features the first appearance of Jose Carioca.

The title song for this movie makes a brief appearance in its follow-up, The Three Caballeros, as underscoring.

This blog entry features the only WDCC release to date from Saludos Amigos, Pedro ("Cleared for Take-Off") sculpted by Valerie Edwards, a Walt Disney Collectors Society Members Only Figurine Release for 2002.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Today marks the 55th Anniversary of Walt Disney's Peter Pan! The film's story is based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and the novel Peter and Wendy, both by J.M. Barrie. It was produced by Walt Disney and was originally released to theaters on February 5, 1953 by RKO Radio Pictures.

Disney had been trying to buy the rights to Barrie's play since 1935. He finally received them four years later, after he arranged with the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London (to whom Barrie had bequeathed the rights to the play). His studio started the story development and character designs in the early 1940's and intended Peter Pan as a follow-up to Bambi, but World War II forced the project to be put on hold. Just like Pinocchiobefore it, the original pre-war character designs for Peter Pan were very different from the final product. The original version actually had Nana go to Neverland with Pan and the Darling children and had a much darker ending. It was not until after the war that the actual production of the film commenced.

Margaret Kerrywas Tinker Bell's live-action reference model, contrary to rumors that it was Marilyn Monroe. Margaret Kerry posed for reference film shots on a soundstage; the footage was later used by supervising Tinker Bell animator Marc Davis and his team when they drew the character. Kerry also provided the voice of the red-haired mermaid in the film.

Like Kerry, Bobby Driscoll was both the live-action reference model and voice actor for Peter Pan. Peter's flying and action reference shots were provided by dancer Roland Dupree.

Kathryn Beaumont, the voice of Wendy (eldest of the Darling children) also performed for the live action reference footage. In an interview, she said she had to hold out her arms and pretend to fly for all the scenes requiring it.

There are various differences between the Disney film, and the Barrie play and novel on which it is based. Until this movie, the role of Peter Pan had always been played by a young woman. Instead, Walt Disney chose to use an actual boy to provide the character's voice.

This film marked two lasts for Disney:

1) This was the final Disney film in which all nine members of the Nine Old Men worked together on it as directing animators.2) It was the last full-length Disney animated film distributed by RKO. All of Disney's films after early 1954 would be distributed by Buena Vista, as well as all of the post-1954 re-releases of his earlier films.

Trivia:

Although original author J.M. Barrie is credited, this is the only major film version of Peter Pan which uses little of his original dialogue. Even the live-action musical versions, as well as the 1924 silent film version, use much of Barrie's original dialogue.

The melody for The Second Star to the Right was originally written for Alice in Wonderland (1951) for a song that was to be called Beyond the Laughing Sky.

In the original play, Captain Hook loses his right hand, but the Disney artists felt that would limit his actions too much, and switched the hook to the left hand.

Though the film was extremely successful, Walt Disney himself was dissatisfied with the finished product. He felt that the character of Peter Pan was cold and unlikable.

Featured in this blog entry are Wendy ("Peter! Oh Peter!") - 2008 Members Only Commission Release sculpted by Dusty Horner, Peter and the Mermaids ( "Spinning a Spellbinding Story") - 2007 Members Only 'Of Dreams & Magic' release sculpted by Dusty Horner, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Tiger Lily and Croc ("An Irresistible Lure") - 2007 Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 1,500 sculpted by Tim Bruckner and Skull Rock - 2003 WDAC Convention Registration Gift sculpted by Dusty Horner. Other WDCC releases from this film can be seen in the Peter Pan Image Gallerysection of the website.

Monday, February 4, 2008

The 1996 Calendar and 1997 Calendar are now available on-line! It is during these years you'll notice we saw a lot of releases from Enchanted Places mixed within the regular sculpture releases plus the first of three companion Sericels to the Animators' Choice release for that year.The mascot for 1996 is Donald Duck ("Donald's Drum Beat") from Symphony Hour. This is my 2nd favorite Donald release. It was my first purchase from the Symphony Hour Scene and at that time, had only planned on purchasing Donald and the Opening Title. That plan didn't last long :) Donald was followed by Clara Cluck and then Horace & Clarabelle. Had to purchase those two together, there was no way I could split them up :) I eventually completed the scene and ranks as the one scene in the collection, that took me the longest to complete. Sadly, the entire scene are all in their boxes and keep hoping for the day to finally get them all on display along with the Crystal Backdrop.1997 was a tough choice on who would be the mascot. You can see that Chernabog won out but was a tough decision between him and the Dancing Belle & Beast. Am not a big fan of Fantasia (sorry Matthew and Tim) but find the Night on Bald Mountain segment mesmorizing and Kent Melton did such an amazing job in bringing this character to 3D!Just two more years to go ....